Rutherford County Commissioners passed a budget for fiscal year 2016-2017 and did so without a property tax increase. The plan passed 19-to-2 Monday morning for the fiscal year that begins Friday.

The property tax rate was locked in at $2.68 per one-hundred dollars of assessed value. That's the same as last year when commissioners voted to increase the property tax rate by nearly eight-percent.

The 528-point-nine million dollar budget passed by the commission does not appropriate about one-point-three million for 19 additional deputies and patrol vehicles that was in the Sheriff's Department budget. This after the budget committee voted four-to-three last week to strip it amid concerns of Sheriff Robert Arnold facing a 14 count federal indictment. The committee did say they'd take up the issue again in August and the money will remain in the budget as unassigned funds for now.

Just over three-quarters of the budget will be spent on Rutherford County Schools and the budget funds about 25 new positions within county government, including several firefighters that will be stationed in Walter Hill.